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Just last week I posed the question: Linked or Facebook? If still having to choose one, I would still probably go with Facebook, however, I still think that the new LinkedIn upgrades are still worth noting…

For this post, I’d like to focus more on the back-end of LinkedIn company pages, rather than just the visual style of the front-end, which has also changed. These are best suited for smaller businesses using LinkedIn as well as more seasoned social media types who still find the platform lagging in certain areas, these new features and sections are a big improvement.

The first big thing is the Notifications; located at the top of your company page next to “Home” and “Analytics”, you can now see a “Notifications” section. Here you will find an overview of your page’s daily, weekly and monthly performance (pictures above. You will also find an overview of all notifications on old posts published to the page. These both include likes, comments, shares and mentions.

The next section to note is the Certified Marketing Partners; these are very, VERY similar to the Facebook Marketing Partners(formerly known as PMD or sPMD). These come in two parts: the first is the company page partners, which focuses on page management such as analytic partners, social listening tools and publishing tools (which is a big help for community managers, as there is still no native scheduling system). The second is the sponsored update partners, which focuses specifically on advertising on the platform, such as tracking performance, publishing and even strategy aid.

Lastly, there have been a few updates to the Analytics section. First, sprinkled throughout the analytics tab found at the top of the page, you may notice a LOT of suggestions throughout. These suggestions pair with the specific type of stat you are looking at, for example, if you are looking at Reach/Impressions, you may see a suggestion to sponsor an update to increase these numbers. They’re a little annoying to people who already understand LinkedIn marketing, but I can see how this would be useful to someone just starting out. The second part of the analytics section to note, is the native analytics themselves; LinkedIn is now showing both impressions AND reach (previously only impressions). They are also beginning to break out different types of engagements (clicks, comments, shares, likes, etc.) rather than just clicks and interactions. This last section is still catching up, but hopefully these will begin showing accurate numbers soon.

Over the past year, a couple of my clients have begun making moves onto LinkedIn. Although they’ve been on board the Facebook train for sometime, they’ve decided to make the shift onto LinkedIn for a few reasons:

1. The Target Demo: The belief that this is where the older, affluent target demo lives online2. The “Respectable” Platform: LinkedIn is associated with success and accomplishments; an opportunity for the brand to also associate with these things3. The “Newness”: LinkedIn is still seen as relatively new and the audience is still growing

These are all perfect reasons why creating a brand presence on LinkedIn makes sense; however, does this mean that more effort should be put into LinkedIn rather than Facebook? In my opinion, no.

LinkedIn being still relatively new lacks a LOT of what Facebook has already spent years perfecting. I believe that Facebook still excels in three main areas: Audience insights (interests and usage), advertising (self-serve ads and better targeting), and finally media type publishing options. The back end of LinkedIn just does not compete – it’s incredibly basic, in the sense that knowing your audience and advertising to them is very limited. And next, on the front end, it is just no where near as aesthetic: photos are very hard to optimize for both desktop and mobile, and there are still no native video option.

Also… what’s sup with their news feed algorithm? It feels busy, and cluttered and just doesn’t makes sense seeing things from weeks ago beside recent updates. Just odd (and I know I’m not the only one who thinks their news feed could use some work).

For another perspective for the comparison, check out [this great infographic] specifically focusing on the advertising on both platforms.

Marketers are always asking “Which social platforms should my brand be on?”

Most assume that they should be everywhere and anywhere just because they can. Each social network is essentially free to join and free to set up a branded account, however there are many points to still consider. My theory is to generally look at two things:

1. What makes sense for my brand2. What can I afford

The first is a given; go where your audience is, and go where the most of them are. But when your audience is in the “millennial” group, this is generally thought to still be everywhere… but not necessarily. Some social networks still skew more male or more female, so this should be considered. Also, what type of message are you sending? For example: are you a quirky, crafty brand – consider Pinterest or Instagram, which are both very visual and captivating. Or are you a very savvy, intellectual brand – consider Twitter or LinkedIn, which both appeal to people who actually want to take the time to read, and learn more.

Now to my second point: What can I afford. I’ve always been told and believe, “Don’t try to do everything. Instead focus on doing one thing really well.” If you have a large budget, and can afford to hire people that know these networks inside and out AND have the around the clock time to moderate and manage these accounts, then do everything… However, if you can only afford to do one really well, then do it. It just does not make sense to try doing everything, if everything does not live up to a good standard; by this I mean leaving networks silent for long periods, or creating low quality content. That “it’s about quality, not quantity” thing really does apply here.

** I will note though: If you are worried that people will take your brand name and use it their own handle (which does happen, and can be very difficult to get back), then go ahead and secure these. But if you are inactive, leave a post, tweet or status that points to your website or another network that is active.

I came across this incredibly simple yet helpful guide for which social networks your brand should be on. Check it out [here]. If I was to recommend one network right now, it would be Facebook: The highest audience, the highest time spent, an advanced ad platform (targeting), and a variety of media options (especially now since they’ve ramped up video). And yes.

Take a second to think of the brands you follow on Twitter. Now think, why do you follow them. If you’re like the majority of people, you said one or more of these reasons:

55% follow because they like the brand.

52% follow for special offers or promotions.

51% follow to stay up to date with news from the brand.

It makes sense right?

Somewhere subconsciously in your brain, you’re likely asking, ‘what do I have to gain from taking this action?’ And it’s a great question. Is it because you’re looking to be entertained, to get answers, to participate in an activity… Well there are a few more reasons than the 3 above – 10 to be exact. See here, for the Top 10 Reasons Why People Follow Brands on Twitter from Twitter UK.

What next? Take this information, and deliver. Have giveaways, provide new product information, welcome feedback, entertain people etc. and people will see the benefit in following you too.

I always liked this little chart and I think it’s pretty helpful too. A lot of these points are pretty obvious to me now, but when I started as a social media marketer/community manager, some of these would have blew my mind.

I think these tips would definitely help entrepreneurs who want to dabble in the social media world, but just aren’t sure where to start. However, I think it’s also a good reminder for the veterans who can sometimes get caught up in “THE BIG BRAND MESSAGE”. Some of these tips really remind you to step back and look at things from a simpler perspective and really get back to the basics of what works. Whether you’re a newb, or a guru, it might be a good idea to read through these. Who knows

Well, sometimes they can actually be pretty funny, and in this case, they’re definitely funny for people familiar with agency life. This image was produced for the D&AD launch party for guests. Whether or not people actually wore them is a complete mystery to me. It would be pretty funny to see people running up to each other just to look at the other person’s badge (at least, that’s what I’d be doing).

I guess mine would be “Accounts: I’m here because I’m ‘good with creatives'”- which is true. So true. What would yours be? Don’t see your position here- make one up and tweet me @tiffanymondesir!

Back in 2010, Stockholm, Sweden was transformed into a living game board for seven days and nights as games were brought to life with the MINI Getaway Campaign. This large scale, capture-the-flag game, challenged players to hunt and catch a virtual car while staying 50 meters away from all other participants. The prize: a brand new MINI Countryman. The campaign was created by the advertising agency Jung von Matt and mobile agency Monterosa to introduce the new car. The video below describes the game in detail.

MINI hit the bulls-eye with this innovative campaign, engaging over 11,000 players, making countless impressions and reaching over 100,000 blogs worldwide. After seeing such large success the first time around, would it be a smart idea for MINI to reuse the game in another location, or should they quit while they were ahead?

In late 2011, the Getaway Game moved over to Japan, this time giving away one of their already popular cars, the MINI Cooper Coupe. The initial concept was exactly the same as the Stockholm version, with a few changes, including an expansion of the game playing area, the addition of two more days, and Android phone app functionality, allowing more people to get involved.

How well do you think this would do a second time around; Would it be just as popular in another city? And is this still “press worthy”? See the Japanese Game results and why or why not repeating an idea can benefit your brand [here].

“Blitzkrieg” is not a new term in the social media marketing and advertising world. It is however, an underrated and fairly unknown way to market a brand. Interestingly enough, you may be more familiar with blitzkrieg advertising than you think. Even the Old Spice brand put the technique to the test with their Wild Scent Collection campaign earlier this year.

So what is the “blitzkrieg”? The term derives from a German “lightening” military tactic used in the Second World War. The German’s would attack quickly, unexpectedly and intensely on multiple fronts, inhibiting their enemies from properly retaliating. For their army, “lightening war” focuses on three main things; Disruption, constant motion, and utilizing the best military arms and tactics.

Old Spice’s Mr. Wolfdog campaign illustrates how these three tactics can be used to execute unique and impactful advertising campaigns. To read the rest of the article and how Old Spice utilizes this technique in more detail, visit: “Blitzkrieg Marketing In Action“

Our favourite photo-sharing app is making moves. Today Facebook and Instagram launched video on Instagram. Will this be the demise of Vine? Could this be the end of Vine’s short-lived life? I guess we’ll have to see.

I just finished posting my first Instagram video (which I suspect will have the hashtag #InstaVid or #InstaVideo attached from now on). Overall thoughts? AWESOME. In comparison to Vine, I think it definitely includes things we all wanted. I really love the focus ability on Instagram when filming. With Vine I often had a lot of difficulty focusing in the app with my iPhone. And I doubt it was just me, because I saw quite a few blurry videos out there. Another cool plus, is of course the filters. Who doesn’t love filters?! Even the #NoFilter people probably use filters about 45% of the time. Videos can be viewed on desktop and online, and unlike Vine, you can choose your own start still screen. COOL!

A few things I’m not so crazy about: The length for these videos is 15 seconds. I like Vine being 6 seconds, and I think for Vine users, it’s going to be a weird adjustment to fill up all that time. You don’t HAVE to fill up the full time which is good, but the initial feeling is “I have so much space left. What do I do with it?!” Others will love this time. For marketers, this is a 15 second spot- just promise not to treat it like one. Another thing, which I’m sure can always be added in later is the lack of frames. I think framing in the filter part of the app would be a great addition, and could create even more dynamic videos.

As I said, overall I love it and I can’t wait to see what’s next (and how Vine will keep up).

Annotations: For those of you who have no idea what an annotation is, you’ll probably know what they were if I referred to them as those “clickable boxes you see show up on YouTube videos” (not the ads). Generally annotations are used to say “like this video” or “subscribe to me channel” or “click here to see another video”, but rarely do you see them used in new and creative ways.

Being able to utilize annotations creatively really means thinking beyond just the filming of your video. It means thinking interactively and directionally as to where the video could lead. One of my friends Corey Vidal showed really creative use of annotations earlier to when annotations were first introduced. Many YouTubers, or frequent users are familiar with them, but beyond that there are pretty unknown and under-utilized.

I love this commercial because it uses the social space to get people not just watching, but interacting. “Do you love secrets?” really taps into human nature and into people’s curious minds. The first time I watched this video I didn’t even hover over the screen once, but at the end when they mentioned that there were more hidden videos, I thought “NO WAY- how did I miss that!?” Upon going back you find a handful of clickable annotations that lead you to other videos and even some of those videos lead you to even more. Each additional side video brings you back to the original to hunt for more. For marketers, the numbers would blow you away just because of this one feature.

This video scavenger hunt isn’t new, but it is interesting, creative and fresh in the marketing world. MiO seems to have taken some “Old Spice” advice and isn’t afraid of being a little weird and a little different. I can’t wait to see what they do next!